Stella is spicin' up her living space...

When Stella moves into a new place she needs it to feel like she'll be livin' there for the rest of her life - no need to half-ass, especially when it comes to spicin' up her interior design. Stella will go to great lengths to make it the perfect space. After all, she doesn't want her vibe to spell out 'Identity Crisis' - that would just confuse people ;)

Stella's decor is not one thing, its many things...layered, textured and idiosyncratic. It may be hard to some up, but to Stella, every piece of furniture, lamp, pillow, and piece of art will represent an idea that will serve a discreet function both independently, and in concert with every other piece. Her personal style is a concoction of a few different spices: Classic, Chic, Bohemian, and a touch of Simplicity…

For the Classic look…Stella needs to reflect some of her inner aristocratic by having a few pieces with an opulent precision like that of a stage set. She’ll find this look at places like Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, and Williams Sonoma. However, Stella needn’t over do it - she doesn’t want her place lookin’ like it came straight out of a catalog.

For the Chic look…Stella needs to reflect the opposite by having a sparse and zen-like presence. Something sophisticated yet somewhat oriented toward the future. She can find this look at places like Brocade Home, and West Elm. Stella could also decide to leave a corner bare, like a stylish absence of visual noise.

For the Bohemian look…Stella needs to reflect her personal quirks and passions by acquiring things with her collector’s eye. She can find this look by browsing through art fairs, flea markets, and random boutiques on her travels. She prefers the mismatched, the handmade, the vintage, and the overall look to be indefinably eclectic and artsy. If Stella's in a rush to get her place together she can always find some great pieces at Anthropologie, but she's waaaayy better off devoting the time to find the most perfect, one of a kind pieces (seriously, get real).

For the Simple look…Stella needs to ring in a more country note, with authentic and natural materials like aged wooden furniture, baskets, and big bouquets of dried flowers, candles, pottery, and sentimental crap. This look exudes a comfortable nonchalance and is frayed at the edges, weathered by the elements - makin' for a real cozy and rural appeal. She can find these accent pieces in her childhood home (check basement), World Market and Pier 1 Imports.

Stella will probably spend more time, energy, and money spicin' up her place than ever before, but it's soooo worth it! She needs a fresh environment that satisfies her needs, reflects her personality, makes her happy to come home to, and makes her glad to wake up in. Done and Done.

Check it. Spice it. Do it.

Stella is back seat drivin'...

Stella's experienced a few ridiculous cab rides lately and needs to stress the importance of cab etiquette when you aren't familiar with the area. Learn these lessons and she's sure your ride will be much more enjoyable for yourself, the cab driver, and your friends at home who are mapquesting directions for the 'it's not my job to know where i'm going' cab driver....

Lesson #1- Stella needs to be aggressive when hailin' a cab. If she throws herself in the street, waves her purse in the air, and hails a cab all on her own...Man needs not to come over, tap her on the shoulder and say...'excuse me, we've been waiting here for 30 minutes, this is our cab'. Stella will call bullshit, especially if Man and friends are just chillin' at the bus stop and not putting themselves out there. She thinks this an exception to not-so-kindly respond with...'grow some balls and hail your own damn cab'. So yea...Be Agressive, B-E Aggressive.

Lesson #2- Stella needs a pre-screening process to make sure her cab driver speaks her language, knows the area, doesn't threaten to drop her off at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, has a gps or thomas guide , and takes credit cards.

Lesson #3 - Stella needs to make sure there is a sober friend in the bunch at all times. Drunken people tend to not have any sense of direction and can get a lil sassy at times. Stella may need to step up to the plate and play the babysitter, particularly if the cops are involved.

Hail it. Check it. Ride it.

Stella is thankful for her father...

Back in the day Stella and her father would snuggle up and watch Dallas every Friday night. It was seriously some of the best times ever and it wasn't because she managed to get herself a lil typsy off his wine coolers (shhh), but because it was their date night together, without fail - and that was pretty special to Stella. Not to mention he was just a badass. Seriously, she wouldn't be cool if it for him and that would just be a tragedy in itself. That's it...Stella needs to remember how cool her dad was...and just why every pretty lady needs one...

#1- Stella needs her father to teach her what she should expect from her husband.

#2- Stella needs her father to call her on her shit and make her aware of the consequences of misbehavior.

#3- Stella needs her father to teach her to do what's right, to try her best, and to show respect.

#4- Stella needs her father to tell her she's beautiful (even if she looks hideous!).

#5- Stella needs her fathers unconditional love and acceptance.

#6 - Stella needs her father to laugh at her at all the right times :)

#7 - Stella needs her father to teach her patience and kindness.

#8 - Stella needs her father to teach her the importance of being a lady.

#9 - Stella needs her father to pull her back when she's headed in the wrong direction.

#10 - Stella needs her father to tuck her in at night and kiss her on the forehead.

ps. this is for you daddy...



Check it. Get some fatherly love. Do it.

Stella is sparkin' it up w/ the standard pretty lady greeting!

Stella is findin' it hard to meet a not-so-hollywood gent in LaLa these days. In no other place will Man spark a conversation with where he works, who he works for, or how many 'celebrities' he knows. Stella doesn't care about that crap. After the social-climber is done with his surface interview, then what? Damn, nothin' more to talk about...

Stella needs to spark up her own conversation so that she won't have to adhere to the "my name is blah and I work for blah" standard hollywood greeting. Otherwise, it's the name game all the way.

When in doubt, Stella needs to use the standard pretty lady greeting. She'll start by making eye contact, then she'll smile and say "hi, how are you?". She'll usually get a response like "good, how are you?" and she'll boldly reply with "good, but i'd be even better if I had a drink!" If the gent knows what's good for him, he'll buy her a drink...if not, then he might just be a lil too hollywood for his own good.

Check it. Spark it. Do it.

Stella is re-thinkin' her laundry list...

Every pretty lady has an idealized laundry list of the qualities their future husband would possess and Stella is no exception! She's got her ideal traits in mind, but when it's decision-making time, all those ideals become secondary to the more important traits that can only manifest internally. Stella doesn't care how hot or charismatic Man is on the outside, if he doesn't have the goods on the inside, then he is definitely one to kick to the curb.

Stella needs a man of substance. She can't grow old and senile w/ a dud. Intelligence ranks very high on her list of ideal qualities in Man. She responds to clever conversation and things that arouse her curiosity: double meanings, sexual innuendos, word-games, and witty flirting.

Stella needs Man to be clever and changeable, and a great conversationalist. If he can keep her guessing, then he'll keep her interested. If he's a charmer and stimulates her intellectually, he'll spark her romantic interest. If he can embrace her idiosyncraaazies, he'll have her for life.

Bottom line: Stella felt the need to encourage you to re-evaluate your laundry list and dig a lil deeper. Let him rock your mind before he rocks your body (you know, if that's your thing)

Check it. Let Him Rock. Do it.

Stella is Out of This World...

Stella needs some inspiration and there's no better way than to take her Out of This World...



Out of This World is a teen comedy from back in the day about a half-alien lady named Evie who possesses the coolest supernatural powers. She can freeze and unfreeze time, or gleep things, which allowed her to manifest objects by using the power of her mind...like if she wanted a new outfit, she could just gleep one up (must be nice). Evie could even teleport herself anywhere by snapping her fingers. Stella wishes she could teleport herself Out of This World but she's just gonna have to get by livin' in her own fictional world with her own fictional superpowers. A pretty lady can dream, right? Don't stop believin'

Watch it. Love it. Live it.

Stella is happy hour every night of the week...

It's 5pm somewhere and Stella needs a cocktail. That's right...she needs to go to happy hour. "But it's only Wednesday", oh pish posh. If Stella is feelin' the need to have a cocktail on a random night she's certainly allowed. As long as she works hard, she can play hard (the day don't matta)...


Monday - Stella needs to go to happy hour because she's had a slight case of the Moooonndaaays and a cocktail would really help her prepare for the rest of the week.

Tuesday - Stella needs to go to happy hour because American Idol isn't on and she doesn't know what to do with herself.

Wednesday - Stella needs to to go to happy hour to celebrate the fact that she's made it more than 1/2 way through the week (nice work lady).

Thursday - Stella needs to go to happy hour because she feels like gettin' the weekend started early (why the f not?)

Friday - Stella needs to go to happy hour because "it's Friday and she ain't got no job, and she ain't got shit to do" (so check it).

Saturday - Stella needs to host happy hour at her place w/ great friends, groovy music, and fretzas! galore.

Sunday - Stella needs to go to happy hour to watch "the game" w/ Man (duh).

Check it. Go to happy hour. Do it.

Stella is under the influence...

Stella needs more than a cup of coffee to get her creative juices flowin' - she needs to be inspired! She needs to be inspired by the artistic productions of Phil Hansen...



ps. how ridiculous is he?

Check it. Influence it. Do it.

Stella is all about her Sperry Top-Siders...

Stella never hesitates to add a lil prep to her classic yet eclectic style. She loves anything crisp white, navy, plaid or pleated, and will use any excuse to dress like totally nautical, especially when she's sailin'. You know, because she goes sailin' all the time w/ her yacht folk. Ok, not reaaaaaaallly (she doesn't know any yacht folk) but she does go boatin'...like a lot. Ok, it was just this one time, and it was more like a booze cruise really. Anyway, word to the wise...boatin' + boozin' + 3 inch heels = a walkin' disaster.

That's right...Stella learned her lesson and will never wear heels on a boat again! Well, unless it's like a huge yacht where there's a ramp to get on and off from, and the chances of her fallin' or gettin' wet are pretty slim...because then maybe she needs to wear a cute lil navy party dress, gold jewelry, white or gold heels that make her legs look amaaaazing, and perhaps a lil sailor hat (what? she needs to dress the part). Ok, back to the point (boat + booze + heels = disaster)...Stella needs a casual yet styin' shoe she can wear sailin' (or booze cruisin'). She needs a spicy pair of Sperry Top-Siders...

She needs the Women's Authentic Original 2-Eye Patent for some extra perennial spice (they come in white too)...


She needs the Women's Plaid Bahama (no relation to Tommy)...


Sperry Top-Siders are Stella's favorite preppy shoe in her casual shoe selection. Created in 1935, the Authentic Original is the blueprint for the American boat shoe, and the cornerstone of classic Nautical style. Stella can wear them for everyday or if she's ever cruisin' in the Land of Wasp she'll have the perfect shoe for when newly friended folk invite her to go sailin' (because they will invite her to go sailin'). Seriously, Sperry Top-Siders are a solid investment - they're reasonably priced ($50) and they'll never go out of style (pretty groovy huh).

ps. Man needs a pair stat!

pps. order online and get a free mini tote w/ purchase of Women's New Arrival (sometimes it sucks to be Man)

Check it. Sperry Top-Sider it. Do it.

Stella is a real life "thinking cap"...

It's no fun when Stella hits the creative block. Seriously, it totally disrupts the process (or so she thinks), not to mention it's super annoying to think she's connected all the dots and then get that feelin' that something's missing. Ok, so she can be lil miss perfectionist from time to time, but only when she knows there's something more brilliant or ingenious hidden somewhere in that brain of hers. That's it...Stella needs to get those creative juices flowin'. She needs to make her braincells go all craaaazzy. She needs to put her "thinking cap" on...

Check it. Put on your "thinking cap". Do it.

Stella is givin' up the Hollyhood trash...

Ever since Stella was a lil lady she always wanted to make things happen in LaLa. She couldn't really imagine startin' her career anywhere else, it was the place to be. She's not quite sure if it's the allure of the glitz and glamour, but something drew her to the city of angels. It's not that she wanted to get all rich and famous (well, ok maybe rich) but that she just wanted to make something of herself and help people by bein' herself - an influencer if you will. However, in order to do that she needs to give up the trash in her life. That's right...she needn't be consumed with anymore Hollyhood celebrity crap. She needs to switch things up a bit...

#1- Stella needs to give up on her US, People, In Touch, OK, etc. Seriously, the pages are filled w/ useless information about people that don't matter in her life (exhibit a).

#2- Stella needs to say goodbye to Perez Hilton (buh bye). Seriously, Perez is a fame whore and even though one can get some good info off his site, it's like really, who cares?...check out cnet.com or somethin' w/ a lil more substance.

#3- Stella needs to stop hangin' out w/ the ladies who like to 'hit up the hot spots' and scope the celeb scene. Seriously, she's not all about the see and be scene crap.

#4- Stella needs to not accept a date w/ Man just because he's 'sorta famous.' Seriously, if he's not cute and suuuuupppper cool then she needs to kick him to the curb (especially if he's just a total 'actor').

#5- Stella needs to eat, exercise, and chill on her vices. Seriously, she needs to be happy and healthy on the inside and out (no diets, addictions, or eating disorders allowed).

Check it. Give up the trash. Do it.

Stella is writin' in her moleskine...

Stella is a super creative lady and is pretty much addicted to thinkin'. Seriously, she can't stop (even when it annoys people). Ok yea, maybe she can be a little intense when she's throwin' ideas out left and right and just won't shut up, but whatever...she lives in an ideation world and her ladies need to embrace the insanity that ensues (hellloooooo business parter). Ok, well sometimes she needs to keep it to herself. That's it...Stella needs an outlet where she can get her ideas out in the open without drivin' anyone allllll craaaaazy. She needs to get writin' in her Moleskine...


For two centuries now Moleskine journals have been the legendary notebook of artists, writers, intellectuals and travelers. More popular than ever, Moleskine notebooks possess stylish minimalism and unmatched quality. This century new legends (including Stella) are being created with the help of this modest book. Moleskine journals help in Stella's daily life, work and play, at home and travelin' the world (when she can). This is the journal that has been as it remains today a truly reliable friend - always at the ready. Helping in life - helping create and capture her life stories.

Check it. Write in a Moleskine. Do it.

Stella is the summer of Roberta Oaks...

Stella was feelin' a lil spontaneous so she decided to take a last minute weekend trip up to the city by the bay. Of course she neglected to bring her most fabulous summer dress (seriously, what the hell was she thinkin'?). It's cool though, she firmly believes everythin' happens for a reason. Yup, this lil tragevesty just means she needs to go buy herself a lil 'in case of emergency dress', right? right!

Stella has quite the eclectic eye and needn't waste her lovely sense of fashion on just any ol' dress. Good thing there are soooo many fabulous lil boutiques in SF - she can browse all over the city until she finds the most peerrrfect dress. That's right...Stella's on a mission. She needs a dress that's classy and cute, spicy and sassy, and somethin' she can dress up or down. She needs a Roberta Oaks...

She needs the Georgie dress...


And perhaps the Quaint dress...


Stella found this fabulous designer at a lil shop on Union St (yea, so she can't remember the name). Made in Hawaii, this chic and whimsical, yet classy and ultra-wearable line is the brainchild of photographer and college artist turned self-taught fashion designer, Roberta Oaks Power. With strong beliefs in supportin' small businesses and sustainable local and domestic economy, the island label is made at a local sewing shop in Honolulu. Strivin' to give ladies like Stella a unique and fashionable alternative to the mainstream market, the clothes are made to be cute, sexy, sassy, oh-so-comfy, and ethical. You go Roberta!

Check it. Roberta Oaks it. Do it.